Vehicle and method for harvesting espalier fruit, especially berries or grapes

ABSTRACT

A vehicle for harvesting espalier fruit, such as berries or grapes, and for further processing to a must on the vehicle. The vehicle comprises a frame configured to reach over a row of plants to be harvested in an area of a u-shaped recess of the vehicle. Also included are wheels on both sides of the u-shaped recess and arranged on the frame. Further included is a picking device to separate the fruit from a remainder of the plants. A solid-bowl screw-type centrifuge is arranged directly on the vehicle, which solid-bowl screw-type centrifuge separates and clarifies a fruit mash into at least a solids phase and a liquid phase.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle for harvesting espalierfruit, such as berries or grapes, to a vehicle for harvesting olives andto a method of harvesting and further processing the espalier fruit.

Fully automatic harvesting vehicles, for example, for harvesting grapes,are known. A construction of such vehicles is used for picking thegrapes off vines which are grown in rows. The method according to thepresent disclosure is suitable for harvesting grapes and for furtherprocessing the grapes to produce a juice or must for making wine. Inaddition to harvesting grapes and processing them directly in thevehicle, the present disclosure relates to the harvesting and furtherprocessing of other fruit or plant parts grown in espaliers, such as theharvesting of currants or other fruit which can be picked by aharvesting vehicle of the present disclosure. The present disclosure isdescribed herein with relation to the harvesting and processing ofgrapes, but is not limited to this application.

The further processing of a crop directly on a harvesting vehicle isknown. Thus, for example, the individual grapes are detached from thegrape bunches by a pick-off or picking device. The grapes are thencollected in a collecting or buffer tank on the vehicle and are fed to afurther processing outside the vehicle. As an alternative, it is alsoknown to drive the whole bunches of grapes to the wine producingfacility.

It is a disadvantage that, in the above-described grape harvestingprocess in the immediately proceeding paragraph, the leaves or otherundesirable plant parts as well as the seeds and skins and/orundesirable portions of the flesh of the grapes are also removed fromthe vineyard and are then only later separated from the grapes. It isnecessary to either dispose of the excessive solid parts, or to utilizethem in a different fashion, or to return them to the vineyard byanother vehicle.

With respect to the state of the art, German Patent Document DE 25 19120 A, which describes a machine for harvesting fruit, German PatentDocument DE 20 03 324 A, which discloses a vehicle for pressing grapes,and U.S. Patent Document U.S. Pat. No. 3,713,887 A, which describes theprocessing of grapes on a vehicle under the effect of inert gas, arealso cited.

In addition, it is known from German Patent Document DE 33 43 602 A1 toarrange a screw-type press on the harvesting vehicle, which compressesthe fruit under the effect of pressure and dejuices them. Thisconstruction was not found to be successful, at least because thequality of the produced juice is not sufficient.

The present disclosure addresses the above-mentioned disadvantages andnon-successes.

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle for harvesting espalierfruit, such as berries or grapes, and for a further processing to ajuice or must on the vehicle. The vehicle comprises a frame configuredto reach over a row of plants to be harvested in an area of a u-shapedrecess of the vehicle. Also included are wheels on both sides of theu-shaped recess and arranged on the frame. Further included is a pickingdevice to separate the fruit from a remainder of the plants. Asolid-bowl screw-type centrifuge is arranged directly on the vehicle,which solid-bowl screw-type centrifuge separates and clarifies a fruitmash into at least a solids phase and a liquid phase. The presentdisclosure also relates to a vehicle for harvesting olives and for afurther processing to an oil on the harvesting vehicle. The vehiclecomprises a frame configured to reach over a row of plants to beharvested in an area of a u-shaped recess of the vehicle. Also includedare wheels on both sides of the u-shaped recess and arranged on theframe. Further included is at least one device for separating olivesfrom plants. A solid-bowl screw-type centrifuge is arranged directly inthe vehicle, which solid-bowl screw-type centrifuge is used to separateand clarify an olive mash into at least a solids phase and a liquidphase. The present disclosure also relates to a method of harvesting andfurther processing espalier fruit, such as berries or grapes, using thevehicle according to Claim 1. The method step comprises processing thefruit by separating and clarifying a mash of the fruit into at least asolids phase and a liquid phase, the separating and clarifying takingplace on the vehicle.

Accordingly, a solid-bowl screw-type centrifuge, also called a decanter,is arranged in the harvesting vehicle and is used for the separationand/or clarification of a fruit mash at least into a solid phase and aliquid phase.

In contrast to a use of a screw-type press, in the solid-bowl screw-typecentrifuge of the present disclosure mechanical stressing of the crop islow and no time delay occurs in the processing. This reduces possibleundesirable influences of microorganisms or the influences of substancesincluding plant parts, such as stems and leaves, and also contributes tothe reduction of undesirable crop-related enzyme influences.

The vehicle of the present disclosure is suitable for harvesting grapesbut can also be used for other fruit.

According to the present disclosure, the screw-type centrifuge isarranged directly on or in the vehicle, such as a self-propelledfull-range harvester. If the harvester is designed as a grape harvestingvehicle, the dejuicing can take place directly in the vineyard still onthe vehicle during the harvesting drive. An analogous situation appliesto the disposal of the marc and the rape in the vineyard which, afterbeing discharged from the solid-bowl screw-type centrifuge, canimmediately be worked into the ground as fertilizer, for example,directly by the tires. Since the screw-type centrifuge is a continuouslyoperating machine, the discharge also takes place continuously.

The vehicle and method according to the present disclosure are suitablefor obtaining a juice and/or must, for example, when producing wines ofall types, such as white wine, rose, and for producing basic champagnewine. Its use is conceivable even for red wine, possibly in connectionwith additional processing steps directly on the vehicle or afteremptying the tank for the obtained must. A suitability for theharvesting and processing of red wine can be achieved by a combinationof the method according to the present disclosure with a step of athermal or non-thermal method for the extraction of coloring, such aselectroporation.

The costs of the harvesting and the further processing are clearlylowered by the vehicle and method of the present disclosure. During theharvesting and processing of grapes, a further processing by a press andor solid-bowl screw-type centrifuge in the wine producing facility areeliminated. Thus, on the one hand, the investments of the wine producingfacility can be reduced and, on the other hand, the required personnelexpenditures for obtaining grape must are lowered. It is alsoadvantageous that the transport volume of the wine producing facility islowered and that the possibly required return transport of the rape fromthe wine producing facility into the vineyard is eliminated.

An optional possibility of a continuous fining and/or enzymation of themust directly on the full-range harvester, such as in a continuousprocess, arising as a result of the solid-bowl screw-type centrifuge isalso advantageous.

Because of its method of operation, the screw-type press of GermanPatent Document DE 33 43 602 A1 represents no centrifuge but aclassical, conical press which is based on the operating principle ofpressing out compressible substances. In contrast, according to thepresent disclosure, the obtaining of must takes place at an accelerationin the centrifugal field from more than 1,000 g that is, 1,000 times thegravitational acceleration) to more than 2,000 g. A screw-type pressensures a continuous operation on the vehicle. In relation, for example,to DE 33 43 602, a result of the narrowing of the conical housing andthe damming effect of the outlet head, the crop is compressed, so that acompressive pressure acts upon the grapes, which leads to a pressing-outof the grapes. A clarifying effect cannot be achieved by such aconstruction. In particular, the cooler sludge content to be achievedwhen processing grapes is unsatisfactory. However, a cooler sludgecontent of less than 1% by volume, for example, a secondary coolersludge is achieved by a decanter on the harvesting vehicle of thepresent disclosure. This permits, if desired, the elimination of aremoval of slime. More extensively than the screw-type press, thedecanter avoids the extraction of undesirable parts because a pressexercises a very compressive pressing force on all parts of the fruit,for example, also on stems and seeds. The pressing effect also occurs aswell by the effect of the sieve element, which causes the occurrence ofmechanical damage, and which has a disadvantageous effect on the coolersludge content and generally on the quality of the must. The coolersludge content is influenced mainly by the sieve design of the press,because fruit parts are pressed through the perforation of the sieveplates as a result of the pressures.

As a rule, when producing wine, a grinding of the fruit before theprocessing by the decanter is not required. In contrast to thescrew-type press, by the solid-bowl screw-type centrifuge being directlyon the vehicle, clearly better must qualities can be achieved. Thismakes the use of the decanter meaningful, especially since the safetyaspects are better than expected and critical situations, for example,by the use of a catching device for the drum, can almost be excluded.

Since screw-type presses rotate only very slowly, they are not criticalfrom a safety-related point of view. This is probably one reason why theuse of rapidly rotating centrifuges on harvesting vehicles had so farnot been considered for harvesting fruit or the like grown on espaliers.The quality of the wine is also disadvantageous. In addition, the yieldof the screw-type press is less than that of a decanter, which isanother advantage of the decanter because, for example, the making offewer trips. Further, the decanter is more hygienic because it alsorepresents a closed system. The decanter additionally reliablydischarges solids, such as dust, which it had previously separated,whereas these may be led into the must by the screw-type press.Furthermore, the achievable throughput at the decanter on the vehicle isalso higher.

When the existing hydraulic system of the vehicle is utilized as thedriving system, a cost-effective implementation of the drive of thesolid-bowl screw-type centrifuge becomes possible. In addition, an easycontrollability of the drive or of the two drives of the screw as wellas of the drum is permitted. Advantageously, the efficient hydraulicaggregate, which is present anyhow on grape harvesting vehicles, can beutilized here, which hydraulic aggregate, in turn, is also used fordriving one or two hydraulic motors, by which the drum and the screw ofthe solid-bowl centrifuge are driven. Other driving concepts, such aselectric motors, gas, diesel or hybrid aggregates or the like are alsoconceivable.

Since the solid-bowl screw-type centrifuge is a high-speed centrifugewith a high potential for rotational energy, different safetycharacteristics are implemented for the protection of the operatingpersonnel and of the driver of the harvesting vehicle. First, a safetycatching device is installed (see FIG. 6).

The safety catching device includes metal plates and/or holding clipsconsisting of struts, which form a catching cage. The catching cagesurrounds the drum completely or at least partially and is fastened as aseparate device inside the hood or centrifuge housing and/or isconstructed as a component of the hood and of the centrifuge housing.This advantageous “emergency bearing” of the drum for the event of afailure of the drum bearing, for example, roller bearings ensures thatthe rotating drum cannot become detached from the vehicle. However, ifthe drum became detached from the bearings, it remains in the safetycatching device, where it can finish rotating in a simple and securemanner without direct danger to the operating personnel.

So that the hood cannot detach from the centrifuge frame even by aneffect of severe force, holding clips are mounted in a distributedmanner along the circumference, that is along the partition line of thehood and the frame.

In addition, the feet and spring elements are constructed as“tear-resistant” oscillating elements, so that a detaching of thesolid-bowl screw-type centrifuge from the vehicle frame is securelyprevented also in the event of damage.

Furthermore, the safety catching device includes bent metal plates orflat-iron holding clips. Those plates or clips reach over the bearinghousing and are arranged on the left and the right of the drum outsidethe hood space or housing space of the solid-bowl screw-type centrifugeand are fastened to the frame of the centrifuge.

Although experimentation took place in the past by using a centrifuge ona harvesting machine, such as a potato harvesting machine, this solutionwas not successful in practice because there were reservations withrespect to safety. These reservations also spoke against a use onharvesting machines for espalier fruit, for example, harvesting machinesfor berries or grapes. Such machines are often used on slopes ofconsiderable inclinations and theoretically may even overturn if theyare subjected to extremely faulty driving.

The use of the solid-bowl screw-type centrifuge is therefore even moreremarkable, especially on the complicated and particularly high grapeharvesting machine. This application is made possible at least by theskillful arrangement of a lateral U-shaped recess in the base frame forreaching over a row of plants, such as vines. It is also made possibleat least as a result of the safety catching device as an additionalsafety device. The safety catching device, even in the improbable caseof an overturning of the harvesting vehicle, or in the event of afailure of the bearing, ensures a safe rotating of the drum to astandstill.

Hoods for protecting the drum and as a protection against contact arealso known from stationary use. These are not designed such that, as adrum is becoming detached from its anchoring, they can hold the drum intheir interior. This is a significant difference between known hoods andfor example, the tube-shaped safety catching devices provided inaddition to the hoods, according to the present disclosure.

The solid-bowl screw-type centrifuge of the present disclosure isarranged on the vehicle such that it can always be horizontally orvertically aligned by a tilting device alone or together with thevehicle body as a function of the inclined position of the row of vinesto be harvested.

It would also be conceivable to develop the solid-bowl screw-typecentrifuge as a centripetal pump machine in order to achieve a pumpingeffect. In this case, the centripetal pump delivers the clarified muston the liquid side of the centrifuge to the next station in a processingsequence, for example, into the must collecting tank without anyadditionally required pump.

The harvesting vehicle may have one or more buffer or collecting tankswhich are connected directly to the input or output side of thesolid-bowl screw-type centrifuge. The tanks facilitate thecontrollability of the process, and also a pump, for the simple andparticularly rapid “speed evacuation” of the buffer or collecting tank.

It is also advantageous, according to the present disclosure, for thesolid-bowl screw-type centrifuge to be arranged on the vehicle such thata horizontal alignment of the solid-bowl screw-type centrifuge isessentially or precisely ensured also on a slope, for example, aninclination smaller than 3° with respect to the horizontal. This isbecause the vehicle body can be swiveled with the solid-bowl screw-typecentrifuge by a tilting device relative to the wheels.

As mentioned above, the present disclosure also relates to a vehicle forharvesting olives and for their further processing to oil on theharvesting vehicle. The vehicle includes a frame designed for reachingover a row of plants to be picked in the area of a u-shaped recess ofthe vehicle. The vehicle also includes a wheel arranged on the frame onboth sides of the u-shaped recess and at least one device for separatingthe fruit from the plants. Further included is a screw-type centrifuge,such as a solid-bowl screw-type centrifuge, arranged directly in theharvesting vehicle. The centrifuge is used for the separation andclarification of an olive mash into at least an oil phase and a waterphase. The olive oil is obtained from the olives as required, after apretreatment, such as a coring and/or grinding or the like. Theobtaining of the oil is done directly on the harvesting vehicle in adecanter from a fruit mash, for example, in a two- or three-phaseprocess. The two-phase process is oil/water-solids and the three-phaseprocess is oil/water/solids.

The safety catching device is designed for catching the rotating drum inthe event of a disturbance or for ensuring a rotating or running of thedrum to a stop inside the safety catching device without any detachingof the drum from the vehicle.

Other aspects of the present disclosure will become apparent from thefollowing descriptions when considered in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a lateral view of a harvesting vehicle having a solid-bowlscrew-type centrifuge for the harvesting of grapes, according to thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the grape harvesting vehicle according to FIG.1, including the decanter.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of another embodiment of a harvesting vehicle forharvesting grapes or berries, including a decanter and a grindingdevice, according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is an end view of a solid-bowl screw-type centrifuge, asinstalled on the vehicle of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a method of harvesting and processinggrapes using the vehicle of FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 6 is lateral view of another embodiment of a harvesting vehicleincluding a decanter installed in a different position, according to thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 7 is an end view of a solid-bowl screw-type centrifuge installed onthe vehicle of FIG. 6.

FIGS. 8 and 9 are side and rear views, respectively, of anotherembodiment of a harvesting vehicle, according to the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a harvesting vehicle constructed asa grape harvesting vehicle 1. Vehicle 1 is designed for harvestinggrapes from plants, such as a row of vines, and for further processingthe harvested grapes. The present disclosure applies to espalier fruitharvesting machines, including harvesting machines for berries orgrapes.

The vehicle 1 is designed as a self-propelled driven vehicle having apowerful drive. Designs as a trailer or as a combination of a tractorand a trailer or semitrailer are also conceivable.

The harvesting vehicle 1 has a frame 2 which is designed such that itreaches over vines of a row of vines to be harvested transversely to alongitudinal direction R of the vehicle 1. Vehicle 1 includes a U-shapedrecess 9 (see FIG. 2). For example, on the frame 2, two wheels 3 aresituated spaced-apart from one another in the driving direction R (seeFIG. 1) and are arranged to be on both sides of the vines (not shown).It is also conceivable to select a drive by at least one pair of chainsinstead of the wheels 3. In the case of a soft critical ground, avehicle 1 with chains (not shown) will not sink in as deeply as avehicle 1 with wheels 3.

The harvesting vehicle 1 comprises a device for separating bunches ofgrapes from the vines, which is known (not shown). The vehicle 1 alsoincludes a picking device 18 which detaches individual grapes from thegrape bunches (not shown).

The grapes obtained in this manner are directly or by way of pickingdevice 18 and/or by way of a grinding device 11 (see FIG. 3, showing anembodiment processing other harvested crops, such as fruit, which isground first), and/or by way of one or more buffer tanks 12 (e.g., mashbuffer tank), and/or a pump 13 are fed into a solid-bowl screw-typecentrifuge 4 having a solid-bowl drum 5 (see also FIG. 6). In centrifuge4, a separation and clarification of the must takes place, such as fromthe rape, that is, from the skins and, if applicable, seeds and/or otherparts. Feeding pipes and discharge pipes are shown schematically in theFigures by arrows, unless the arrows are otherwise identified. A feedingfrom the buffer tank 12 takes place through one of the pipes into thecentrifuge 4.

Rape delivered from a solids discharge of the solid-bowl screw-typecentrifuge 4 can be returned into the vineyard either in a collected ordirect manner. Whereas, the must discharged from a liquid discharge ofthe solid-bowl screw-type centrifuge 4 is collected in a collecting ormust tank 14 at the harvesting vehicle 1 and is then guided to furtherprocessing (see FIG. 5). The discharge from the collecting tank 14 takesplace by a rapidly evacuating pump or must pump 15.

During a harvesting, the wheels 3 of the vehicle 1 stand on the groundon both sides of the plants of a row to be harvested, such as vines of arow of vines, so that the frame 2 reaches over the row of vines.

The driver sits above the frame 2 directly over the row of vines in adriver's cab 6.

In contrast, the solid-bowl screw-type centrifuge 4 is arrangedlaterally of or across the row of vines or of the U-shaped recess 9 onthe frame 2 above the wheels 3. Centrifuge 4 is situated betweenperpendicular lines S1, S2 with respect to horizontal line H whichextends through the two wheel axles R1, R2. Other types of arrangementsof the decanter, or centrifuge 4 are conceivable, such as directly onthe frame, or between wheels in order to mount the weight of thedecanter as low as possible on the vehicle.

Generally, the solid-bowl screw-type centrifuge 4 is installed on thevehicle 1 with a horizontal axis of rotation. However, an installationwith a perpendicularly arranged axis of rotation is also conceivable.

FIG. 1 also shows a tilting device 22 for tilting the vehicle bodyrelative to the wheels 3 on a slope.

The solid-bowl screw-type centrifuge 4 is driven, for example, by ahydraulic system present on the vehicle 1 by one or two hydraulicmotor(s) 19. Such an arrangement can be implemented in a cost-effectiveand manner and in a compact construction. However, other drives are alsoconceivable.

For ensuring sufficient safety in the event of a disturbance, the drum 5of the solid-bowl screw-type centrifuge 4 is arranged on the frame 2 ina type of safety catching device 7 (see FIG. 6), which is designed forcatching the rotating drum in the improbable case of a detaching of thesolid-bowl screw-type centrifuge 4 from its anchoring or from itsbearings and to ensure a rotating to a stop or coming to a stop of thedrum 5 inside the catching device 7 without any detaching of the drum 5from the vehicle 1.

In a manner known, the drum 5 is surrounded by a hood 10, for example,made of metal plate. It is conceivable to design the hood 10 to be sostrong that it can itself act as a catching device. However, a separatearrangement is also created at least in sections between the hood 10 andthe drum 5, for example, in a manner of a tube 21 (see FIG. 6). Tube 21is adapted to an exterior contour of the drum 5, is cylindrical at leastin sections, is stationary during an operation and is constructed anddesigned such that the drum 5 can rotate to a stop in the tube 21 evenafter a detaching of the drum 5 from its anchoring, which is almostimpossible. The drum 5 comes to a stop inside the safety catching device7, shown as tube 21, until its rotational energy has been consumed by abraking effect of the tube 21 and it comes to a standstill.

Metal sheets made of metal alloys are suitable as material for the tube21 but, under certain circumstances, also plastic materials or the likeand be used, which are sufficiently stable and heat-resistant and bringthe drum 5 to a standstill similar to a brake. Such a tube 21 is shownin FIG. 6. Tube 21 is anchored in a stable manner directly at the frame2 or by damping elements (not shown).

The catching device 7 (see FIGS. 6 and 8) may also include metal plates8 (see FIG. 7), which metal plates surround the drum 5 and/or reacharound holding clips 16 made of struts, such as flat irons 24, (seeFIGS. 4 and 7). Such struts, for example, in an end region of the drum5, such as, in a region of a belt pulley for driving the drum 5 and/or ascrew, surround the drum 5 or the screw or directly adjacent parts, suchas a bearing housing 23 (see FIG. 6), in a protective manner. A rotarycage of the catching device 7 may also include several struts which havea correspondingly stable design (not shown).

Individual struts or holding clips 16, such as flat irons, may alsoprotect or hold and secure the bearing housing 23. This is depicted inFIG. 6. FIG. 7 shows U-shaped protective holding clips 16 made of astable flat iron 24 and also a hydraulic line connection 25 (see FIG. 4)to a hydraulic drive/motor 19. FIG. 8 shows that boundary walls 29, 30of the solids catching device 27 and of the liquid catching device 28may be constructed in a reinforced manner in order to also contribute tothe implementation of a collecting tube for the centrifuge 4 incombination with the tube 21.

By the clamp-type holding clips 16, individual struts or the hood 10 anda machine frame 20 for the decanter 4 are fastened to the base frame 2or another abutment of the vehicle 1 directly or by way of dampingelements 17 (see FIGS. 4 and 6).

The centrifuge 4 and/or the catching device 7, in turn, are fastened tothe base frame 2 of the harvesting vehicle 1 in a manner uncoupled withrespect to vibrations (see spring elements 17). Some of the metal plates8 are trapezoidally arranged above the drum bearing 23, whereasotherwise also surrounding parts of the vehicle frame 2 can take overthis function. It is also conceivable to construct a type of recess or acage made of struts or the like of the vehicle frame itself on thevehicle frame, from which the drum 5 cannot detach.

By a surprising measure of the catching device 7, it is possible toimplement the use of the solid-bowl screw-type centrifuge 4 on thevehicle 1 with a high degree of safety.

As shown in FIG. 8, a liquid discharge takes place on a rightcylindrical side of the decanter 4, and a solids discharge takes placeat a conical or left end of the decanter 4. Feet 17, being springs orelastic, and the bearing housings 23, which can also be secured by metalplates, are shown.

For space-saving and compact design, the buffer tanks 12 and collectingtanks 14 are provided on the mutually opposite sides of the u-shapedrecess 9. However, the arrangement of the tanks 12, 14 is variable.

A sequence of a harvesting and further processing method, according tothe present disclosure, is illustrated in FIG. 5. For example, whenharvesting and further processing grapes, a passing through thefollowing stations or steps takes place in the method:

providing one or more of a vibrating bar, a conveying belt, a pickingdevice 18 and a buffer tank 12;

providing a decanter or solid-bowl screw-type centrifuge 4 on vehicle 1;

providing a must collecting tank 14 on the vehicle 1; and

filling a tanker truck with must (see arrow A in FIGS. 2 and 3) at anedge of the field.

An enzymation or an addition to other wine producer's additives directlyat the vehicle 1 is also conceivable and has additional advantagesbecause the processing of the obtained juice/must to wine can still becontinued directly on the vehicle 1. This is advantageous because theadditional steps can be carried out directly, without any loss of time,—which, on the one hand, is advantageous with respect to the quality ofthe wines/juices to be produced and, on the other hand, is economical.

It is also conceivable to provide a heating device (not shown) for themust on the vehicle 1 in order to be able to heat the must, for example,when producing red wine.

In addition, the rape may be separated from the must/juice in thesolid-bowl screw-type centrifuge 4 and remains directly in the vineyard.

It is also conceivable that, by the use of a suitable measuringtechnique at the vehicle 1, parameters, such as the yield of the crop,the sugar content, the acid content, the pH value and other mustparameters are detected and evaluated with respect to a precise area.This can take place, for example, in connection with asatellite-supported position finding system, such as the GPS or GlobalPositioning System.

A cleaning of the system, such as the centrifuge 4, takes place in asimple manner by a type of cleaning-in-place system.

In addition, analyses of the must and/or of the starting materials aswell as an intelligent controlling of the harvesting are alsoconceivable on board the vehicle 1.

A cooling on the vehicle 1 is optionally also conceivable as well as acontrolled utilization of the retention time of the must on the vehicle1 for reactions in the must.

Although the present disclosure has been described and illustrated indetail, it is to be clearly understood that this is done by way ofillustration and example only and is not to be taken by way oflimitation. The scope of the present disclosure is to be limited only bythe terms of the appended claims.

We claim:
 1. A vehicle for harvesting espalier fruit including berriesor grapes, and for a further processing to a juice or must on thevehicle, the vehicle comprising: a frame configured to reach over a rowof plants to be harvested in an area of a u-shaped recess of thevehicle; wheels on both sides of the u-shaped recess and arranged on theframe; a picking device to separate the fruit from a remainder of theplants; a solid-bowl screw centrifuge surrounded by a hood and having arotatable screw and a rotatable drum arranged directly on the vehicle,which solid-bowl screw centrifuge separates and clarifies a fruit mashinto at least a solids phase and a liquid phase; the solid-bowl screwcentrifuge is arranged on the frame in a safety catching device which isconfigured to catch the rotatable drum in the event of a disturbance andto ensure a rotating of the rotatable drum to a stop inside the safetycatching device without a detaching of the rotatable drum from thevehicle; and wherein the catching device is located inside the hood andconcentrically surrounds the drum and acts as a catching cage.
 2. Thevehicle according to claim 1, wherein the solid-bowl screw centrifuge isarranged on the frame.
 3. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein thesolid-bowl screw centrifuge is arranged laterally with respect to theu-shaped recess on the frame.
 4. The vehicle according to claim 1,wherein the solid-bowl screw centrifuge is arranged on the frame in alongitudinal direction of the vehicle.
 5. The vehicle according to claim1, wherein the solid-bowl screw centrifuge is arranged on the framebetween the wheels.
 6. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein adriving of the solid-bowl screw centrifuge takes place by a power sourcearranged directly on the vehicle.
 7. The vehicle according to claim 6,wherein the power source includes at least one hydraulic motor which isconnected to a hydraulic system of the vehicle.
 8. The vehicle accordingto claim 6, wherein the power source includes one of a gas motor, anelectric motor, a gasoline motor, a diesel motor and a hybrid motor. 9.The vehicle according to claim 1, further including at least one of abuffer tank and a collecting tank connected on one of an input andoutput side of the solid-bowl screw centrifuge.
 10. The vehicleaccording to claim 9, further including at least one pump to rapidlyevacuate at least one of the buffer tank and collecting tank.
 11. Thevehicle according to claim 1, wherein the safety catching deviceincludes one of metal plates, holding clips and struts which, in an endregion of the drum surround one of the drum and directly adjacent partsin a securing manner.
 12. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein oneor both of the solid-bowl screw centrifuge and the safety catchingdevice are fastened to the frame, the fastening including vibrationdampening elements.
 13. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein thesolid-bowl screw centrifuge is arranged such that one or both of thesolid-bowl screw centrifuge and a vehicle body is one of horizontallyand vertically aligned by a tilting device as a function of an inclinedposition of the row of vines to be harvested.
 14. The vehicle accordingto claim 1, wherein the drum is configured to process grapes at acentrifugal acceleration of more than 1,000 g.
 15. A method ofharvesting and further processing espalier fruit, such as berries orgrapes using the vehicle according to claim 1, the method stepcomprising processing the fruit by separating and clarifying a mash ofthe fruit into at least a solids phase and a liquid phase, theseparating and clarifying taking place on the vehicle.
 16. The methodaccording to claim 15, further including the step of taking the solidsphase directly to a harvested field.
 17. A method of harvesting espalierfruit including berries or grapes, using the vehicle according to claim1, the vehicle further including a picking device, a buffer tank, and amust collecting tank, the method steps comprising: separating bunches ofgrapes from vines in a vineyard; conveying the bunches of grapes to thepicking device; separating individual grapes from the bunches of grapesusing the picking device, and creating a mash; delivering the mash to abuffer tank; feeding the mash into the solid-bowl screw centrifuge;processing the mash by separating and clarifying the mash into a mustliquid phase and a solids phase using the centrifuge; transferring thesolids phase directly to the vineyard; transferring the liquid phase tothe must collecting tank; and transferring the liquid phase to a tankertruck at an edge of the vineyard.
 18. The method according to claim 17,wherein during the processing of the grapes to wine, a thermal ornon-thermal coloring extraction takes place directly on the vehicle. 19.The method according to claim 17, wherein the grapes are processed at anacceleration of more than 1,000 g.
 20. The method according to claim 17,wherein during the processing of the grapes, the solid-bowl screwcentrifuge is adjusted such that a cooler sludge content of less than orequal to 1% by volume is reached.
 21. A method of harvesting espalierfruit including berries or grapes, using the vehicle according to claim1, the vehicle further including a picking device, a grinding device, abuffer tank, and a must collecting tank, the method steps comprising:separating bunches of grapes from vines in a vineyard; conveying thebunches of grapes to the picking device; separating individual grapesfrom the bunches of grapes using the picking device, and creating amash; grinding the mash using the grinding device; delivering the mashto a buffer tank; feeding the mash into the solid-bowl screw centrifuge;processing the mash by separating and clarifying the mash into a mustliquid phase and a solids phase using the centrifuge; transferring thesolids phase directly to the vineyard; transferring the liquid phase tothe must collecting tank; and transferring the liquid phase to a tankertruck at an edge of the vineyard.